Feeling extra tired lately? Waking up and… feeling old?? In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the biggest drivers behind your energy, vitality, stamina, and resilience. You’ll learn the five key areas that shape how young or old you feel, how to tell the difference between true aging and reversible symptoms, simple shifts to restore your energy, and where to start if you’re feeling completely wiped out.First things first—if you’ve been saying “I feel old” or “aging is the worst,” stop! Instead, get curious: What exactly makes you feel that way? Better yet, ask yourself what habits might be making you feel that way. Blaming age lets us off the hook—and keeps us stuck.Here are five truths about feeling old and ways to combat those feelings:1. Symptoms vs. Signs of AgingMany so-called “aging” symptoms (fatigue, brain fog, low energy) are actually reversible. Mitochondrial function plays a big role here.2. Exercise & CirculationNot all movement is equal. Real exercise, like steady cardio, intervals, and strength training, boosts circulation and energy. Use heart rate tracking to make sure your workouts count.3. Sleep Quality > QuantitySleep is a skill. Things like caffeine, alcohol, and lack of strength training can wreck your sleep. Focus on improving quality, not just getting more hours.4. Balanced NutritionIf you’re dragging, start with food. Stabilizing blood sugar with balanced meals (protein, veggies, high-fiber carbs) can quickly boost energy and fat metabolism.5. Strength TrainingFeeling stiff, achy, or “old”? You likely need more muscle, not less movement. Strong muscles protect joints, reduce fatigue, and carry you through your day. Build strength progressively, and aim to leave workouts feeling better, not more drained.There’s no one-size-fits-all exercise plan. What matters is recognizing the season you’re in and choosing to work with your body, not against it. Let's redefine what getting older really feels like!You can get FREE access to my 4-week Strength Without Stress program right now! This program will help you reduce the systemic inflammation that’s caused by overly intense or lengthy workouts. It’ll help you build and maintain valuable lean muscle without the fatigue from other programsTo get free access to Strength Without Stress, post a Review wherever you’re listening. Grab a screenshot of your review before you post it and upload at: https://www.hollyperkins.com/reviewThis is a limited-time offer before it sells for $197–grab it while you can for lifetime access.Be sure to Follow and Subscribe so you'll know exactly when new episodes are available on Tuesdays.Topics covered● [01:35] Age is a mindset, not a number● [07:49] Blaming your age for your struggles is disempowering you● [09:25] Fatigue is a reversible symptom related to mitochondrial function● [12:53] Exercise stimulates circulation, which gives you more energy● [16:12] Not all cardio is the same! Walking usually isn’t a workout● [19:11] Great quality sleep comes from smart exercise ● [26:43] Changing your nutrition can give you more energy today● [34:15] Strength training is the best way to reduce aches and pains● [39:49] The exact steps for lifting heavier weight loads Resources Mentioned● Research about the effect of chronic exercise on energy and fatigue states● Research about how resistance exercise training alters mitochondrial function● Research about how resistance training improves sleep quality● Research on metabolic dysfunction in ageing and age-related diseases● Research on the mitochondrial basis of aging● Transcripts can be found on the official...
Feeling extra tired lately? Waking up and… feeling old?? In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the biggest drivers behind your energy, vitality, stamina, and resilience. You’ll learn the five key areas that shape how young or old you feel, how to tell the difference between true aging and reversible symptoms, simple shifts to restore your energy, and where to start if you’re feeling completely wiped out.
First things first—if you’ve been saying “I feel old” or “aging is the worst,” stop! Instead, get curious: What exactly makes you feel that way? Better yet, ask yourself what habits might be making you feel that way. Blaming age lets us off the hook—and keeps us stuck.
Here are five truths about feeling old and ways to combat those feelings:
1. Symptoms vs. Signs of Aging
Many so-called “aging” symptoms (fatigue, brain fog, low energy) are actually reversible. Mitochondrial function plays a big role here.
2. Exercise & Circulation
Not all movement is equal. Real exercise, like steady cardio, intervals, and strength training, boosts circulation and energy. Use heart rate tracking to make sure your workouts count.
3. Sleep Quality > Quantity
Sleep is a skill. Things like caffeine, alcohol, and lack of strength training can wreck your sleep. Focus on improving quality, not just getting more hours.
4. Balanced Nutrition
If you’re dragging, start with food. Stabilizing blood sugar with balanced meals (protein, veggies, high-fiber carbs) can quickly boost energy and fat metabolism.
5. Strength Training
Feeling stiff, achy, or “old”? You likely need more muscle, not less movement. Strong muscles protect joints, reduce fatigue, and carry you through your day. Build strength progressively, and aim to leave workouts feeling better, not more drained.
There’s no one-size-fits-all exercise plan. What matters is recognizing the season you’re in and choosing to work with your body, not against it. Let's redefine what getting older really feels like!
You can get FREE access to my 4-week Strength Without Stress program right now! This program will help you reduce the systemic inflammation that’s caused by overly intense or lengthy workouts. It’ll help you build and maintain valuable lean muscle without the fatigue from other programs
To get free access to Strength Without Stress, post a Review wherever you’re listening. Grab a screenshot of your review before you post it and upload at: https://www.hollyperkins.com/review
This is a limited-time offer before it sells for $197–grab it while you can for lifetime access.
Be sure to Follow and Subscribe so you'll know exactly when new episodes are available on Tuesdays.
Topics covered
● [01:35] Age is a mindset, not a number
● [07:49] Blaming your age for your struggles is disempowering you
● [09:25] Fatigue is a reversible symptom related to mitochondrial function
● [12:53] Exercise stimulates circulation, which gives you more energy
● [16:12] Not all cardio is the same! Walking usually isn’t a workout
● [19:11] Great quality sleep comes from smart exercise
● [26:43] Changing your nutrition can give you more energy today
● [34:15] Strength training is the best way to reduce aches and pains
● [39:49] The exact steps for lifting heavier weight loads
Resources Mentioned
● Research about the effect of chronic exercise on energy and fatigue states
● Research about how resistance exercise training alters mitochondrial function
● Research about how resistance training improves sleep quality
● Research on metabolic dysfunction in ageing and age-related diseases
● Research on the mitochondrial basis of aging
● Transcripts can be found on the official blog page for this episode at hollyperkins.com/blog
Follow Me:
Find me on Instagram: @hollyperkins
Learn more on my website: hollyperkins.com
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/HollyPerkinsFitness
Disclaimer: Content and information as part of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast is for general interest, education, and entertainment purposes only. The use of information on this podcast or materials or products linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
Holly Perkins 00:00
What if feeling older wasn't about your age at all, but about how your body is or isn't supporting you? Right now, if you ever catch yourself saying, "I'm just getting old," I'm going to challenge you today, because fatigue, loss of vitality, and aches and pains are a sign that your physical body needs some attention and a change, of course, and I've got the recipe to help. If you've been waking up feeling stiff or tired or just not feeling like you anymore, keep listening.
Holly Perkins 00:36
Hello, and thank you so much for being here. If you are new, welcome. I'm Holly Perkins, and I help women to improve body composition to at least 70% lean muscle so that you can reduce your risk of disease and stay in the game of life and out of the rocking chair. And today I'm unraveling some of the biggest factors affecting your energy, your stamina, vitality, and that just a general sense of resilience. And this episode is a good one. While you might be feeling old, it doesn't mean that you are old, truly, and as you'll see in a minute, but more than just this mindset shift, you'll also see that there are measurable biological functions that could be signalling a need for change.
Holly Perkins 01:35
And in my experience, which is 30 years in practice now, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, you can feel better, have more energy, eliminate aches and pains, and feel younger than ever. One misconception that you may have is thinking that you're feeling old because of your age, whatever that number is—and this is a funny one, because I know women who are 28 and they say they feel old, and I know women in their 70s who feel like they're in their 30s.
Holly Perkins 02:11
So if this is true, does age really influence how old you feel? I remember feeling really old at the age of 30. I was living in New York City and dealing with—at the time, I was dealing with chronic, debilitating hip pain during and after my long runs in Central Park. I was a runner. I was strength training, of course, but I was strength training so that I could be a runner.
Holly Perkins 02:41
Hint, hint, there's a problem right there. But I was always tired and spending a ton of money at Starbucks, like twice a day, and then kind of seemingly out of nowhere, I developed this neck and shoulder pain that tortured me like 24/7. There's not much worse than when you get that, like, kink in your neck. If you had a bad night's sleep, it just haunts you all day long. And for some reason, I had this flare-up that was lasting weeks. I felt old, and I remember saying, "Is this what happens at 30?" and I really believed it, and I was feeling so depressed about it, because I also had the perspective to be like, "Oh my gosh, there's a lot of years ahead."
Holly Perkins 03:33
So I did something about it—a lot of things, actually. And at the age of 44 I felt younger than ever, and at 50 I felt old again, as my hormones and my life started shifting, and now at 53 I feel younger than I did at 50. So as you can see, it's not really about the number. And I'm sure you could probably relate to this if you think back on different cycles of your life.
Holly Perkins 04:04
So what's it actually about? If you feel like death when you wake up in the morning and find yourself feeling more and more tired, you are not alone. But pay attention, because this is the kind of fatigue that isn't just your usual tired. It's one thing to wake up in the morning and just feel tired or not motivated to get out of bed. This is something different. This is pervasive and it's emotional. It is that like heavy ugh, of just pure exhaustion, and if you don't feel like yourself anymore and avoid certain activities because you feel like you've got no steam, I promise that it's not your age. And if you lump all the symptoms into one basket called getting older, there is a way out. Right?
Holly Perkins 05:00
No one wants to feel old. And if you're looking for a fast fix, I will offer you this. Stop saying, "I feel old," or "getting older is the B, I, T, C, H." I have a friend that every single time I say her name with exasperation, she's like, "Getting older is a swear word." And the truth is, if you'll stop blaming your age and find something else to say in those moments, it's a major game changer. Like maybe you could say, "I'm feeling tired right now," or "I'm noticing some aches and pains that are new," and the best one of all, "What are my habits that might be causing me to feel this way?"
Holly Perkins 05:50
This mental reframe might be the best nugget of advice I could ever give anybody, and it's super powerful. It was an incredibly impactful way in my own journey to help me feel better year after year, and when I get into those cycles where I feel old, I know exactly what to do. So in this episode, you'll learn five key areas that impact how young or old you feel, the physical symptoms of aging versus reversible symptoms, simple shifts that restore energy and vitality, the number one place to start if you are wiped out and desperate, and a new way to approach your workouts so that you feel better instantly.
Holly Perkins 06:41
There are days when I feel like a powerhouse and I am unstoppable, and I know for sure that it's my daily practices that get me there without a doubt. Then there are days when I feel tired and run down. But never, ever do I say, "I feel old." I don't think you will ever hear me say, "I feel old." Instead, I catch myself, I stop myself, and I play this little game. Instead, I remind myself of how young I am, and that one day in my 80s, I will look back and say, "I was so young then."
Holly Perkins 07:22
And if you can really own this idea, it's powerful, because the truth is, today is the youngest that you'll ever be, right? You're only going to get older. And so we've got to work on the mental reframe so that you feel better. If you want to feel like a powerhouse, to lean in and save this episode, because it is rich with things to help you feel younger than your years.
Holly Perkins 07:49
The biggest mistake is believing that your age is causing your struggles, and therefore there isn't anything that you can do about it. And if you think about it, that is a really great way to disempower yourself, right? Oh, it's out of my hands. I'm x age, and this is happening because of age, so there's nothing I can do about it. In essence, it's taking your power away. So why would you want to disempower yourself? And that's a real question. Think about that for a moment, because I see this in my practice with some of my clients. Some of them are actually looking for reasons to be disempowered. And you might think that's ridiculous.
Holly Perkins 08:38
Why would anybody do that to themselves? Why? Because it lets you off the hook from doing something about it. Let that sink in and see if that's at play for you. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. So there are five areas I'm going to cover here to help you understand the truth about feeling old. Number one, the mitochondria connection. Number two, circulation. Number three, sleep. Number four, blood sugar regulation to address vitality and mood, and number five, strength training to address aches and pains and energy. Of course, did you think I wouldn't cover strength training? Nope, it's got to be in there.
Holly Perkins 09:25
So first, the thing to understand is that there are physical signs of aging versus reversible symptoms. Listen, aging is a complicated thing, but there are some things we know for certain. The first is that aging is marked by a progressive loss of cellular function and deterioration of various tissues, like skeletal tissue or bone. Mitochondria, the powerhouse of every cell in your body, supply energy, and they have an essential role in the development of disease.
Holly Perkins 10:07
And as you age, mitochondrial quality and function declines. Aging is related to an energy supply and demand imbalance, and we know that exercise in general counters this. Mitochondria create fuel out of the glucose from the food that you eat, the carbohydrates that you eat, and they create oxygen from the air that you breathe. Having more mitochondria increases your body's energy supply, and exercise sparks cellular level changes in your body and produces more mitochondria inside of your muscle cells. Your mitochondria influence or regulate a number of key aspects of aging, and we know that strategies directed at improving mitochondrial quality and function have far-reaching beneficial effects. This change in the power health of your cells is a physical sign of aging, and this is
Holly Perkins 11:20
largely reversible. So while that is a physical sign of aging, proof of aging, if you will, a symptom of aging is fatigue, and you can now see how declining mitochondrial function is related. So fatigue is a reversible symptom, because we know that exercise improves the number of mitochondria in addition to the function. And this is huge. Even more exciting is that strength training is a particularly powerful way to do this. As always, I've linked some very interesting research in the show notes. If you want to geek out with me, this is a perfect example of how feeling old is really just a feeling.
Holly Perkins 12:13
And yes, if your weekly training program isn't optimized, you might not be getting all of the mitochondrial benefits that you could. So if you are already strength training, we may need to tweak your programming so that you can get more of the energy benefits. And if you're not consistent with your strength training, what do you need to do in order to become more consistent? Because we know without a doubt that strength training in particular improves vitality, youthfulness, and energy. And coming up, I will make sure that I give you some tips for improving your strength workouts.
Holly Perkins 12:53
So let's talk about circulation. It's really no surprise to hear that exercise boosts circulation, right? But I think it's also important to actually define this as your heart rate increases during exercise, blood flowing throughout your body speeds up so as to deliver oxygen to your tissues. Pretty simple, right? This increase in oxygen not only supports the mitochondria as energy production, it also allows your body to function better and to use its energy more efficiently. The result is that you feel more energized.
Holly Perkins 13:32
Again, it's not rocket science here, but here is a simple shift to help restore energy and vitality by improving circulation, oxygenation, and mitochondrial activity: be specific in your types of workouts each week. I'm a big believer of clear differentiation between your workouts, and you will never ever hear from me the approval to go into any kind of a mixed workout where you're mixing modes like cardio and strength training or cardio and yoga and mobility training. I'm a purist when it comes to the modes and specificity of exercise.
Holly Perkins 14:17
So a very simple structure that I would program, or that you could include is number one, you want heart rate based, steady state cardio sessions or workouts each week, separate and distinct from number two, non-exercise activity time like walking to get your steps in. A lot of people think, "Oh, I walk every day. Does that count as my cardio?" Generally, it doesn't. Cardio is defined by your heart rate response, and while walking is better than sitting in terms of circulation, we really do have to get specific with the quality of the circulation. Number three is heart rate based interval cardio, and then number four is strength training.
Holly Perkins 15:04
Those are four very different things that impact circulation. And strength training is really a form of interval training, because your heart rate goes up during your sets, and then it goes down during your rest phases. This, of course, assumes that you're including rest phases, which is the protocol that I recommend. So these four different types of workouts impact your circulation differently—all good, but different—and you really need to be tracking your heart rate for these because too high of a heart rate can be fatiguing, and that's what we're trying to remedy here.
Holly Perkins 15:45
But also, too low of a heart rate, let's say, if you're just trying to get your steps in through, you know, casual walking each day, it's not going to provide enough of a stimulus, and so that's why it's important to have all of these things if you want to get all of the benefits of circulation. So in short, start paying attention to the specifics of your heart rate during these activities, and more specifically, during cardio workouts. Often I see people being super generic in their cardio workouts because they think that all cardio is the same, and it's really not.
Holly Perkins 16:21
So, for example, like I just said, getting in 10,000 steps per day and getting your activity, non-exercise activity time in counts for something, without a doubt, it does, but it may not count as cardio, depending on your fitness level, how fast you're walking, whether there's hills, and whatever your cardio response is to that walking most of the time. In my experience with my clients, walking isn't enough to actually get a workout. I cannot tell you how many times a client comes to me and sort of kind of brushes off this topic and my guidance because they think that they're, quote unquote, getting their cardio in.
Holly Perkins 17:01
Oh, I get plenty of cardio, and it's sort of a dismissal, if you will. No disrespect, but it's just sort of people have this thought that, like, any physical activity where your heart rate is up is cardio, and it's really not true. Cardio, to me, is the most prescriptive of all, because if you're doing activities that you think are cardio, but your heart rate's too low, you're not gonna get maximal benefits, if any benefits at all, other than just feeling better, right? But also, if you're then doing cardio that really gets you sweating and it really pushes you, like a spin class, you might be taking your heart rate too high, and there's problems with that as well. I talk about this in other episodes.
Holly Perkins 17:42
My point here is to really talk about the specificity of circulation and how to get the benefit of it. And when I make this simple shift of getting more specific with heart rate tracking, generally, my clients come back about maybe six to eight weeks later to tell me that, number one, they feel better during their cardio and that it's pronounced and unusual and it's something new. They also say, number two, that they actually see their cardiovascular fitness improving.
Holly Perkins 18:17
And I realize this could sound so elementary, but if you stop and think about how you are going about your approach to cardio, are you actually getting somewhere? Are you actually seeing the benefits, and does it actually feel effective? Because last, the number three thing they tell me is that they have more energy throughout the day simply by getting specific with heart rate tracking. So instead of doing cardio for cardio’s sake, they actually start experiencing it as a training variable that has a very direct impact.
Holly Perkins 18:56
So up next, you'll hear the number one place to start if you're wiped out and desperate, you'll hear a new way to approach your workouts so that you feel better instantly, and an easy way to improve sleep. But first, so let's talk about sleep, because it's something I don't talk about a lot here on the podcast. And what a topic, as it should be. It is so important. This is loaded, I know, but good sleep quality is a skill, but it's also a bit of a mystery for people. And I'm going to tread lightly here, because I run the risk of diving in super deep here, because sleep could be an episode entirely of its own.
Holly Perkins 19:43
It's complicated, and there are a lot of different factors, for sure, and I suspect that I don't really need to illuminate the issues with poor sleep quality or insufficient hours. In general, most people know the problem with poor sleep. But of course, if you're not sleeping well or getting enough sleep, you're going to feel rundown, you're going to feel tired, you're going to feel stressed, and yes, you're probably going to feel old.
Holly Perkins 20:14
The first thing to know is that sleep really is a skill that you can learn. Throughout my 20s and 30s, I was a terrible sleeper, probably because I was spending too much money at Starbucks. I was overly caffeinated, and I know that my poor sleep skills really contributed to my fatigue and just a general sense of not feeling well during those years. But I was determined to learn how to sleep better. I read books on it. I made changes in my habits. It really became a skill to learn and a practice. And wouldn't you know it, I am a fantastic, world-class sleeper.
Holly Perkins 20:57
Now, my husband laughs at me and teases me all the time. He has trouble sleeping, and he really admires, like, what a good sleeper I am. I'm a champ. In fact, my sleep data from a few nights ago showed that I had five hours and 11 minutes of core sleep, two hours and eight minutes of REM, 54 minutes of deep sleep, and get this—only two minutes of awake time, which I think is hilarious. That's one of my probably best on record. And it was only about, I think, a little over, added up, I think it was like eight hours of sleep or something like that. And to put that into perspective, in the past week, I also had a night where I was awake for an hour and nine minutes, and then I only had 25 minutes of deep sleep.
Holly Perkins 21:50
So it varies. And what accounts for this difference? What do you think? It's my habits. And listen, I know I'm talking about me here, but I'm saying this because I know you might be able to relate, or that there are other people out there listening right now who will absolutely relate. I really like to share science and research alongside my experience as a coach in practice, working with people alongside my own experience, because I also feel like, at the end of the day, I'm a woman just like all the women that I coach. So the biggest factors for me that you might be able to relate to are, number one, too much caffeine too late in the day. Even if it's green tea, if I do a green tea after two o'clock in the afternoon, I'm super caffeine sensitive. I see a difference in my sleep data.
Holly Perkins 22:40
Number two, if I strength train or not. Cardio does not do it for me. In fact, I love cardio. Cardio is important. I do it, but I don't see the immediate benefit like I do with strength training. Strength training is transformational for my body. Number three, alcohol. I only drink once, maybe twice a week. And when I do, I only have one drink, because if I have any more than that in a given week, I get into trouble. But even that always, always impacts my sleep.
Holly Perkins 23:16
And then number four, I've been talking about this more lately. I drink Beam Dream before bed. I drink it most nights, and it has a huge impact. And then what I'll do is I'll take a break for like four or five days. A lot of things I don't take always, always, always, always. I think that it's probably a general good rule of thumb to take a break from things from time to time. And so I'll take it for maybe two or three weeks straight, and then I'll take four or five days and take a break.
Holly Perkins 23:46
But by that last day, day five or so, my sleep is definitely a bit more erratic, and so I can really see the benefits from when I do drink it and when I don't. My sleep data makes it clear as day. Now, the bigger message here is that exercise trumps all of these things. I don't care if you follow all of the best sleep hygiene practices—you are not going to get your best quality sleep without smart exercise. Again, not just any exercise, because I don't believe it's as simple as that. If you are the person who's feeling tired and old and beat up, these things do matter.
Holly Perkins 24:32
In addition to helping your body create and use energy, regular exercise is the easiest way to improve sleep. Deep sleep is crucial to your overall health and to feeling well rested and energetic when you wake up in the morning. So, something to note—if you are waking up in the morning and you don't feel rested, or you feel like you've been hit by a truck (I know those days), days where you feel like you could sleep all day long, don't assume it's because you didn't get enough sleep. I can't tell you how many times a client will say to me, "I know I'm not sleeping enough." Sleep quality is way more important than the actual number of hours that you're sleeping.
Holly Perkins 25:24
What I found with my clients is that we get farther ahead with all the other practices that I'm talking about today, and I rarely guide my clients on sleep hygiene or practical steps to improve their sleep. Like, we talk about it almost not at all. Every now and then there'll be a blip, but it's rare. Because all these other practices and tips that I'm talking about today are super powerful, I found that if all the other puzzle pieces are in place, sleep tends to resolve itself in the end. If you are physically tired from your workout earlier in the day, you will naturally sleep better.
Holly Perkins 26:06
Now, if you're still here and you're still listening, I'm going to assume that you're probably one of those people who's feeling old, and this topic is particularly relevant for you. Otherwise, you probably would have stopped listening. So let me give you the number one place to start if you are wiped out and desperate to feel better or just feel less old, because when you're tired, everything is hard, and there's a tendency to feel overwhelmed with the to-do list. So I want to keep it simple.
Holly Perkins 26:43
What's the number one place to start if you're feeling old, the shortcut, the top most important thing of all? Nutrition. Haha, you thought I was going to say strength training. Surprise. Got to keep you on your toes. But more specifically, what I'm talking about is eating in a way that improves your gluco-regulatory control. I'm not just talking about food quality, although, of course, that's important. I'm not talking generically about eating better or nutrition real. Specifically, I'm talking about gluco-regulatory control. And what does that mean?
Holly Perkins 27:19
In short, it simply means that you put all of your eating strategy and effort into choosing foods so that they optimize your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is stable, you'll be more stable. You'll have more energy. You'll burn fat better. And oh, by the way, that has nothing to do with weight loss or fat loss. Our bodies feel really good when we are burning fat. And so stable blood glucose allows your body to be in the metabolism of beta-oxidation, where you're burning fat as your fuel. And that feels awesome, and it helps you to feel satisfied by foods without having cravings.
Holly Perkins 28:06
So every cell in your body relies on glucose, and you will never, ever feel well if your blood sugar is too high or too low. It's absolutely essential for health, but more importantly, stable blood sugar boosts your mood. Generally, when a person feels old, they're tired, and I've never met a person who said, "I am tired, and I'm so happy." Feeling old doesn't feel good, understandably, and that impacts your mood. Simply by eating for better blood sugar control, you'll feel better literally within hours. And that's a true story. And the truth is, you can start this at your next meal.
Holly Perkins 28:53
Literally, your next meal could set you up to feel younger. So it's easy to take action now, because the truth is, well, you gotta eat, right? So here's what you can do at your next meal: visually divide your plate by thirds. Aim for about four to six ounces of a protein-dominant food. You gotta figure out about how much is four to six ounces, but it should fill about a third of your plate, depending on what your protein is. Then fill a third of your plate with vegetables, and the last third with slow-digesting, high-fiber, nutritious carbs like brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa, squash, and even potatoes. I'm a huge fan of potatoes. Repeat this for three solid meals each day.
Holly Perkins 29:44
Number two, be sure to always pair a carbohydrate-dominant food with a protein-dominant food, and don't go longer than four to five hours without eating a meal or snack. And then number three, instead of restricting carbs, get strategic with them, because a big reason for fatigue is insufficient carb intake each day. And you might not believe me, but I can tell you from my practice, I see it all the time. Interestingly, I was doing some research for my book, and I was getting the definition on what's low carb, what's high carb, what's moderate carb.
Holly Perkins 30:21
And if you've been following me, you probably know I'm an advocate of macronutrient balanced eating, where 50% of your daily calories come from carbs. And something I hear on the regular is, "Oh my gosh, that's so many carbohydrates. That's so high carbohydrates." And once I went deep into the research, I was shocked to find out that it's not that—that is high in carbs—it's that we've all skewed our definition of what's high carb.
Holly Perkins 30:53
Technically, 70% of your daily calories coming from carbs is considered high carb. So if you're eating less than 50% of your daily calories coming from carbohydrates, you're technically eating moderate or even low carb, especially if you go below 40%. So there's a really good chance that you've been brainwashed to think, "Oh, low carb is the way to go," for a million reasons. It's really not, and I promise once you get more strategic with the amount of carbs that you're eating, there's going to be a big shift in your fatigue. This was so huge for me.
Holly Perkins 31:31
As much as I stress the power of strength training, I will say that nutrition is the faster, more direct way to immediately shift how you feel and your experience. I hate to say that, because I'm afraid that some people will kind of neglect their workout. And in some ways, nutrition really is everything, but more than anything, it's the faster way to shift your biology. And I will say that that is once you've got your physical conditioning practices in place.
Holly Perkins 32:06
So, let's talk about a new approach to your strength training workouts to help you feel younger and more resilient. Without question, the best, and I would argue the only, way to reduce aches and pains is strength training. If you're feeling achy and old, it's a sign that your muscles need more power and strength. And this might ruffle some feathers, but arthritis is a diagnosis that I feel is often misunderstood.
Holly Perkins 32:37
Contrary to what you have been told, it's not genetic. It's usually the result of two or more bones not articulating properly at the joint. This causes irritation and, yes, sometimes damage to the surrounding tissues. And while the pain and the wear and tear are real, I believe that most of the time, proper strengthening is the solution to bring alignment back to that joint.
Holly Perkins 33:07
This is exactly why when you go to a physical therapist for help, they will usually do the following. Number one, they will use modalities to reduce swelling, irritation, and inflammation at the joint, because that's what's causing the pain for the most part. Number two, they will then use stretching to release the joint so that it starts to fall back into alignment, but that is so that they can go in and strengthen the joint in proper alignment.
Holly Perkins 33:38
So while I don't preach a lot about stretching, when you've got a joint imbalance, you do have to loosen up the tight side of the joint so that you have more mobility and range of motion, and you can then go strengthen whatever muscle is weak. I say all of this to say, if your doctor has said that you got arthritis, and that you should avoid certain exercises, please think on it, because in my experience, I've found that for most people with general aches and pains, it's the strength exercises that will heal you.
Holly Perkins 34:15
And if you're feeling tired all of the time, strength training is also the best way to improve energy, because your muscles are strong. They're more fatigue resistant, and therefore they are better able to carry you around all day. When your muscles are weak, they're unable to hold you upright in the battle against gravity, and that's exhausting. Strong muscles and more muscle mass in general will make you feel young, energized, and vibrant, because then this powerhouse organ, your muscles, will hold you upright and carry you throughout your day.
Holly Perkins 34:53
So aim for 3 focused strength training workouts every week at a minimum, in my book, in a split body part training protocol. If you've been here, you know me. I'm a huge fan of split body part training protocols for a million reasons. Listen to my other podcast episodes. But this is in contrast to full body training—not a fan of it. If you're struggling with fatigue, or aches and pains, or just generally feeling old, I find that full body workouts don't provide enough of the stimulus to each muscle group.
Holly Perkins 35:30
So it's almost like watered-down weight lifting. And I find that full body workouts are too systemically fatiguing. So instead, you want to work hard in a set and then rest for 30-90 seconds where you're focused on specific body parts. Two, maybe three in a workout tops. And this is where you will really provide enough of the stimulus so that your muscles will change. And when you do it this way, this is where you'll get that interval training-like, effective strength workouts. If you're doing a straight set protocol, where you do a set, take a rest, do a set, take a rest, it's fabulous for cardiovascular health and fitness as well.
Holly Perkins 36:20
A new approach that helps if you're feeling old is to go into your workouts with the intention of coming out feeling better, not tired or wrecked. So shift your thinking from “a workout is to work out” and instead, your workout is to wake your body up so that you actually feel better. And I want you to pay attention to how you feel and how you move throughout your workout and do it a bit slower or more gently so as to awaken your energy, to charge up your battery, and to even enliven you. Whenever I'm feeling completely beat up, this is exactly what I do. This isn't about no pain, no gain; this is about attracting more bees with honey. You want to coax your energy to come forward instead of going in and punishing yourself.
Holly Perkins 37:18
Now I realize this is a bit of a double-edged sword because in the overall scheme of things, you do have to challenge yourself at times. I'm not saying you can do this all of the time, but what I've found is that in like 1-2 weeks of gentle coaxing, easy workouts when you're feeling old, it's valuable and it will start to give you the benefits of strength training just on a subtler scale. So if you do this, you'll notice that you start to feel better and you'll have more energy even as soon as after a few workouts or in about two weeks. And this is particularly helpful when you're in that phase of feeling beat up and run down and plain old tired, because the last thing you want to do is go work out. But you have to because it's also the remedy.
Holly Perkins 38:16
Then, once you're feeling a bit more energized, say after maybe two or three weeks of this gentler approach, you can begin to push yourself a bit more by increasing your weight loads—not your heart rate, not your speed, but shortening your rest phases, not by adding more volume but by increasing your weight loads because this is what's going to make you stronger. And it's increasing your weight loads that's going to help you build muscle, and that is key to everything that we're talking about here because the best way to feel young again is by increasing both your strength and your muscle mass. And that means you have to progressively overload your muscles and, more specifically, by lifting heavier weights over time. There's a number of ways that you can progressively overload your muscles, but in my community and what we talk about here, I'm really focused on overloading your muscles through heavier weight loads.
Holly Perkins 39:13
And I understand that you might also be wondering and asking, "Okay, so how do I actually lift heavier?" And again, I realize this can sound like a silly question, but I get it all the time because you might be someone who is lifting weights on the regular but if you're not actually getting stronger and using heavier weight loads, why is that? There really is an art and a practice and some tools for actually lifting heavier, so do this.
Holly Perkins 39:49
Find the weight loads for your exercises where ten reps feel good. They might be effortful and it might feel like a workout, but you feel good at the end of the set and your technique looks good for those ten reps. After 3-4 workouts, so maybe that's 1 or 2 weeks, increase the weight a little until those same ten reps are harder than they used to be. Repeat that weight load for 2-3, maybe 4 workouts until this new weight load feels good again for the full 10 reps. That means your muscle has adapted and you've gotten stronger. Then repeat the process. The idea here is to use the quality of your reps to determine when your muscles have adapted to a given weight load, and once that weight load feels good, you've adapted, and you have to increase it—you have to work harder so that the muscle adapts again.
Holly Perkins 40:57
That's how you get stronger. That's how you improve your strength, your muscles, and hopefully build some muscle mass. If a weight load is misery or it's systemically fatiguing, try lowering the weight load until all 10 reps feel good. Now, if you're a regular listener, you might be thinking that this goes against what I normally teach, which is the last two reps rule.
Holly Perkins 41:26
And guess what? You're right. It does go against what I normally say. That is because this protocol and this episode is very specifically for the women who feel old. This is for you, when you're in a phase that you just feel old—that demands a different protocol. This is a remedy to get someone out of feeling old and achy and into a better level of fitness so that they can then start using heavier weight loads, where the last two reps are very hard and a little sloppy.
Holly Perkins 42:06
So it's important to understand that when you're feeling good, it's a different approach, and this protocol is very specifically to get you feeling better ASAP so that you'll actually stay consistent with your workouts, because ultimately, it's the workouts that will heal you, help you to feel young, and help you feel more energized. See, there isn't a one-size-fits-all program for everyone, because we are all so different in terms of what phase we're in.
Holly Perkins 42:37
You might be in a feeling-old phase while another woman right now, your same age, has hit her fitness stride and she's feeling strong and more fit than ever. We go through cycles and phases and seasons of life. It's important to acknowledge that where you are right now is key, and provide your body what it needs to feel better. Oh, one last thing—take creatine. It really does help with fatigue, and it really does help with feeling old.
Holly Perkins 43:09
Check out my podcast episodes on creatine. Episode 13 is a good place to start. Oh, and since we touched on nutrition and blood sugar regulation today, you might be interested in my upcoming lab, From Cravings to Control. During this live video session, you'll learn my approach to consistency with food so that you improve glucoregulatory control, so that your blood sugar levels are stable in it. You'll learn why willpower isn't the problem and what actually creates lasting consistency.
Holly Perkins 43:44
You'll hear how to outsmart your cravings using intention, strategy, and planning what to eat and when, so that your body stays fueled and your cravings actually can chill out for once, and exactly how to break the binge-crave cycle without giving up your favorite foods. And in the end, I always save time for a live Q and A. You can ask me anything about food cravings, consistency, all of it. Come over to hollyperkins.com/ lab—that's l, a, b—to purchase your ticket. It's just $20 and you'll get lifetime access to the recording. It's one of my favorite things to do, and I would love to get to know you a little bit better there. That's hollyperkins.com/lab. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and stay tuned for another brand new one on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong, my friend.